Colorado Fines Drilling Company for Well Poisoning

In our recent writing about our trip to Colorado’s Roan Plateau, we mentioned the sad case of hunting guide and outfitter Ned Prather, who drank from a well on his own property and was poisoned by benzene from nearby gas drilling operations. Finally, the case has some resolution, and the state of Colorado has levied a record fine against Williams Production RMT Company. The [story from the Colorado Independent](http://coloradoindependent.com/59528/state-set-to-levy-record-fine-in-benzen/ e-guzzling-gas-drilling-case) is well-worth a read, as Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Director David Neslin describes “an unacceptable backlog of enforcement actions for various spills, some of them dating back several years.” — Hal Herring